Field
The present specification generally relates to apparatuses for holding glass articles during processing and, more specifically, to magazine apparatuses for holding glass articles during ion-exchange processing.
Technical Background
Historically, glass has been used as a preferred material for many applications, including food and beverage packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, kitchen and laboratory glassware, and windows or other architectural features, because of its hermeticity, optical clarity and excellent chemical durability relative to other materials.
However, use of glass for many applications is limited by the mechanical performance of the glass. In particular, glass breakage is a concern, particularly in the packaging of food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. Breakage can be costly in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical packaging industries because, for example, breakage within a filling line may require that neighboring unbroken containers be discarded as the containers may contain fragments from the broken container. Breakage may also require that the filling line be slowed or stopped, lowering production yields. Further, non-catastrophic breakage (i.e., when the glass cracks but does not break) may cause the contents of the glass package or container to lose their sterility which, in turn, may result in costly product recalls.
One root cause of glass breakage is the introduction of flaws in the surface of the glass as the glass is processed and/or during subsequent filling. These flaws may be introduced in the surface of the glass from a variety of sources including contact between adjacent glass articles and contact between the glass and equipment, such as handling and/or filling equipment. Regardless of the source, the presence of these flaws may ultimately lead to glass breakage.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative apparatuses for holding glass articles during processing to mitigate glass breakage while allowing for full contact of the interior and exterior regions of a glass article with processing baths, such as ion-exchange baths.